Spindle drive



March 10, 1942. SNYDER 2,275,570

SPINDLE DRIVE Filed NOV. 13, 1940 WITNESSES: INVENTOR Feder/QKDSHya er,

BY 01%;, W ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1942 SPINDLE DRIVE Frederick D. Snyder, East Milton, Mass, assignor to Westinghouse Electric &

Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 13, 1940, Serial N 0. 365,456

10 Claims.

My invention relates to spinning or twisting machines, or the like, or in fact, to any machine wherein thread is fed from feed rolls onto a plurality of spindles.

A textile twisting or spinning machine consistsof a number of spindles mounted vertically along the sides of the machine and one or more sets of rolls which feed yarn to the spindles at a definite rate. The usual scheme of drive has been to drive the spindles from a cylinder extending the length of the frame by means of a tape going over the cylinder and then over a small pulley attached to the spindle. lhe rolls and the cylinder are driven from a common source suitably geared so that at all times a definite ratio is maintained between cylinder speed and roll.

On the heavier machines considerable difficulty has been encountered due to belt slippage between cylinder and spindle, also bearing trouble on the spindle has been experienced due to the pull of the belt when high spindle speeds of 6000 and above are encountered. Belt slippage is particularly detrimental because as the ratio of the roll speed and spindle speed is changed, the turns twist per unit length of yarn also changes; This produces yarn that is not first quality.

Considerable experimenting has been done to produce an individual motor driven spindle machine but to date unsatisfactory solutions have been made, due to the following difiiculties.

(1.) The feed rolls have to be driven by a separate motor energized bythe same alternating current frequency as the main motor driving all the spindles and while this produces fairly good synchronization between spindle and roll during operation, it is way off during acceleration and deceleration.

(2.) The individual spindles when driven b-y squirrel cage motors have slightly different spaced characteristics and therefore the twist is not entirely uniform.

(3.) Synchro-tie has been used on very large spindles but this means two receivers. for each spindle, one for the spindle and one for the roll. This system is successful but very limited in application because of extremely high first cost and maintenance.

An object of my invention is to provide a spinning or twisting machine, or the like, in which there must be good synchronization between the spindle and roll during not only normal operation but during acceleration and deceleration.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a plurality of spindles with separate induction motors which spindles are individually belted to a common cylinder or rotatable means, the latter serving as the driving element of the feed rolls so that the cylinder is driven at a plurality of places longitudinally thereof, thereby involving a minimum slippage of the belts and providing almost absolute synchronization between the spindles and feed rolls at all times.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the single figure is a schematic showing of a spinning machine which embodies the principles of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the single figure, numerals I, 2 and 3 denote a plurality of spindles which are driven by motors M1,,M2 and M3, respectively, which motors are preferably 1 I squirrel cage induction motors energized by high frequency currents supplied by a polyphase source indicated by L1, L2, L3. Each of the spindles has a pulley or whirl such as indicated by numerals such as 4, 5 and 6, around which is entrained a belt or tape such as indicated by numerals 1, 8 and 9, which belts are entrained also around a common cylinder It! or other suitable rotatable means. The cylinder It drives a plurality of feed rolls including the front rolls ll through a system of gears indicated by numeral [2 and a suitable speed changer indicated by numeral l3. Thread or untwisted yarn is fed from a plurality of bobbins such as indicated by numerals Ma, Mb and 140 through the respective feed rolls through which they are stretched and fed onto the respective spindles. For example, one of the threads I5 passes through the front roll and is passed through a traveller is on a ring I! and finally onto the spindle I.

It will thus be seen that all the spindle driving motors are tied together by the belts driving the common cylinder l0. Therefore any slight variation of speed characteristics on the spindle motors, say, below 1 or 2%, will be compensated automatically. Since the spindle motors drive the feed rolls directly they will always be in synchronization during acceleration, normal running, and deceleration. In accordance with my system, the power is divided into approximately 10% for the feed rolls and 90% for the spindles.

One of the well known schemes in the past is to drive the cylinder I0 by a single driving motor and to transmit this rotational motion to the various spindles by belts (without the use of separate driving motors). With this scheme the tapes on the spindles have to transmit about 90% of the power used to drive the machine with the result that considerable slipping of the belts, particularly during acceleration and deceleration, is noted, resulting in imperfect twisting of the yarn orthread. In accordance with my scheme only 10% of the power is transmitted with the same belts. Therefore belt slippage will practically disappear automatically. Also the belt tension can be considerably reduced so that the bearing trouble on the spindles is practically eliminated.

The possible field of application for the drive shown in the drawing is unlimited and includes spindles used in the manufacture of automobile tire cord, heavy silk or rayon tapestry yarns, or, in fact, any of the many heavy, hard twisted cords or yarns used in industry. The same scheme may be applied to the wire covering and 'rubber covering (latex) industry.

I am, of course, aware that others, particularly after having had the benefit of the teachings of my invention, may devise other devices embodying my invention, and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the specific showings made in the drawings and the descriptive disclosure hereinbefore made, but wish to be limited only by the scope ofthe appended claims and such prior art that may be pertinent.

I claim as my invention:

1. A control system for textile machinery and I the like, comprising, in combination, a plurality of spindles, a plurality of feed rolls for guiding threads supplied to the spindles, a rotatable member extending in juxtaposition with respect to each of said spindles and which is geared to said rolls for driving the same, each of said spindles having a belt entrained therearound and around said rotatable member so as to provide a plurality of power sources for flexibly driving said rotatable member and of said spindles and feed rolls.

'2. .The combination with a spinning or twisting machine including a thread feeding roll and a plurality of spindles supplied with thread fed from said feed roll, rotatable means for driving said feed roll, a separate driving motor for drivingeach spindle, a flexible coupling means for tying each spindle and said rotatable means in driving relationship so as to apply power thereto at as many points as there are spindles.

3. In combination with a spinning machine or the like provided with thread feeding rolls and with a plurality of spindles fed with thread from said rolls, in combination, a cylinder geared to L said rolls for driving the same, a plurality of driving motors, one for each of the spindles, a flexible belt like coupling which entrains each of the spindles to the cylinder so as to impart driving power to said cylinder at a plurality of places longitudinally of the cylinder.

4. In combination with a spinning machine or the like provided with thread feeding rolls and with a plurality of spindles fed with thread from said rolls, in combination, a cylinder geared to said rolls for driving the same, said spindles befor synchronous operation ing disposed longitudinally of said cylinder and at right angles to the axis thereof, a plurality of driving motors, one for each of the spindles, a flexible belt like coupling which entrains each of the spindles to the cylinder so as to impart driving power to said cylinder at a plurality of places longitudinally of the cylinder.

5. In a machine for winding thread onto spindles, comprising in combination, roll means, a plurality of spindles fed by thread from said roll means, rotatable means for driving said roll means, a plurality of squirrel cage induction motors, one for driving each of said spindles, a pulley on each of said spindles, a plurality of belts, one for each of said pulleys for entraining said pulley and said rotatable means, and a source of power for driving said motors synchronously, so as to apply power to said rotatable means at a plurality of points.

6. A control system for textile machinery and the like comprising, in combination, a plurality of spindles each having a pulley rigidly secured thereto, means including a pair of front rolls for guiding and tightening thread supplied to the spindles, rotatable driving means, a plurality of flexible belts, each entrained about one of said pulleys and about said driving means, a plurality of alternating current induction motors, each of which is mechanically coupled to one of said spindles for driving the same, a common source of constant frequency alternating current for energizing all of said motors, and transmission means for mechanically coupling said driving means to said front roll so that said front roll is driven by the power of said plurality of induction motors. '7. Apparatus as in claim 6 in which said driving means comprises a cylinder having its axis at right angles to the spindle axis and in juxtaposition with respect to said plurality of pulleys.

8. Apparatus as in claim 6 in which said transmission means comprises a system of reduction gearing.

9. A control system for textile machinery and the like comprising, in combination, a plurality of spindles each having a pulley rigidly secured thereto, a plurality of rolls for guiding and tightening thread supplied to the spindles, rotatable. driving means, a plurality of flexible belts, each entrained about one of said pulleys and about said driving means, a plurality of alternating current induction motors, eachof which is mechanically coupled to one of said spindles for driving the same, a common source of constant frequency alternating current for energizing all of said'motors, and transmission means for mechanically coupling said driving means to said plurality of rolls'so that the latter will be driven 153' the power of said plurality of induction mo- 10. Apparatus as in claim 9 in which said driving means comprises a cylinder having its axis at right angles to the spindle axes and in juxtaposition with respect to said plurality of pulleys.

FREDERICK D. SNYDER] 

